


Five Roads Home

by whetherwoman



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Episode: s06e12 The Pitch, M/M, alternate endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:15:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23318221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whetherwoman/pseuds/whetherwoman
Summary: Five different choices David and Patrick might make.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 52
Kudos: 236





	Five Roads Home

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you etben for reading this over!

1.

They move to New York. They get an apartment with Alexis that's even smaller than Patrick's studio in Schitt's Creek, and they sleep in a murphy bed that David reassures Patrick is, like, _so_ cute, and the Rose Apothecary brand really starts to take off. David was right about that, as he has been about so many things for their business; New York is the perfect environment for a curated selection of products from independent vendors, sheltered under a unified brand that benefits both the vendor and the customer. They both work hard, long days, but Patrick feels satisfied at the end of them, knows he's done good work and moved their business forward. David falls asleep quickly every night, wrapped around Patrick in their tiny bed, and Patrick listens to his breath and the neverending sound of traffic outside, and tries to be grateful for everything he's been able to keep.

2.

They stay in Schitt's Creek. David cries a little when his family leaves, waves them off with a wide smile plastered on his face and suspiciously bright eyes. When Stevie follows them a week later, though, the tears overflow. Patrick steps back to give them some space as Stevie wraps her small arms around David and he sniffles into her shoulder.

"I'll be back," Stevie says, slightly muffled. "You know I will. Gotta check in on things. You know. Stuff. Everything around here."

"I know," Patrick hears David say. And, "I'm so proud of you." And then something else, quieter, that Patrick can't quite decipher.

"I know," Stevie says, and squeezes David tighter.

They drive her to the airport, and this time David doesn't cry when he gives her one last hug before she goes through security. Outside, they wait, leaning up against the side of Patrick's car, until the sole plane in the tiny airport speeds down the runway, lifts into the air, and disappears into the horizon.

Patrick shifts just a little, just enough so his arm is touching David's, and is reassured when David immediately leans back until they're pressed together, side by side.

David takes a deep breath, then lets it out. "Let's go home," he says.

They go home. They eat dinner, and go to bed, and have sex, and it's good. They talk a little, after, just normal domestic stuff, and Patrick teases David, and David giggles and kisses him. They fall asleep, and when Patrick wakes up in the morning he gets to watch David open his eyes, and see him, and smile.

They work, and they go home, and they go to work again. They get postcards from Alexis, phone calls from Stevie, a package from Mr. and Mrs. Rose containing seven branded coasters, a Crows movie poster, two giant cookies from Levain Bakery that are only slightly worse for wear, and a Rosebudd Motel gift card that says "Where Every Stay Feels Like Home" on the front. Patrick opens it up, but all it says on the inside is, "Love, Mom and Dad." David rests his chin on Patrick's shoulder to read it, but doesn't move to take it from him.

They work, and they go home, and they go to work again. The store is thriving. They lose some vendors, and gain others, and maybe David is a little quieter, a little more likely to think before he speaks, makes a little more room for people around him. But that's a good thing, Patrick thinks; that's growth, maturity, empathy. And what matters most is that every night they curl up in their bed, together, and it's everything Patrick ever wanted. 

3.

David goes to New York; Patrick doesn't. 

It's temporary, at first; it makes sense for someone to keep the store going in Schitt's Creek, and David has the most connections in New York to network and expand their vendor and customer base. David calls every night. Sometimes it's early, and they'll cue up the same movie on Interflix, heckle it and eat dinner, David's voice warm and close in his ear. Sometimes it's late, after a party or meeting a new potential customer at a bar, and Patrick has to blink awake at the ringtone, fumble for his phone in the dark. But David always calls, and Patrick always picks up.

In October, David comes back, and they tumble into bed immediately. It's like it was back in the first weeks of their relationship, except with more privacy, and everything is desperation and need and heat. Unlike back then, though, Patrick whispers, "I love you—I love you," his voice cracking, and David says it back immediately, kissing all over Patrick's face even as his cock drives deep in Patrick's body.

But afterwards, Patrick lies on his back, catching his breath, and stares at the ceiling, and says, "I can't do this anymore."

David is motionless beside him. "I know," he whispers. 

They're quiet until Patrick can't stand it any more and fumbles for David's hand. David squeezes his hand back, tight.

"I never," David says. "With anyone else. You know that, right?"

"I know," Patrick says. "I believe you. You wouldn't. That's not—you know that's not why I—"

"I know," David says.

They hold hands in the dark until it isn't dark any more, and then Patrick drives David to the airport, and hugs him tightly before he goes. Patrick doesn't stay to see the plane take off.

4.

They don't talk about it.

They plan the wedding, and they run their store, and they go to lunch with the Rose family and listen to Mr. and Mrs. Rose's ever more grandiose plans, and Patrick watches David's face as he makes noncommital responses. They go out for drinks with Stevie and let her complain about how stressed she is, and take turns teasing her and boosting her up and ordering her more beers, until she goes a little wobbly and weepy and starts talking about how much she loves it, every minute of it, how she's never been happier in her life. They go home, and David kisses Patrick goodnight and rolls over and goes to sleep, and they don't talk about it.

Patrick starts making budget projections—one for hiring staff to stay behind the counter while David and Patrick focus on building their brand in New York, and one for selling the store entirely and going online-only. He thinks they can do it, either way. It'll be tight for a while, but he believes in David's vision, and in their combined ability to bring a business to life. They've built something from the ground up before, together; they can do it again.

When he's ready, when his projections are as solid as he can possibly get them, he says, "David."

David looks up from where he's pulling the lasagna out of the oven. (Patrick made it, but David usually does the plating.) Whatever he sees on Patrick's face makes him pause for a second, then he carefully puts the lasagna on top of the oven and comes over to sit next to Patrick on the couch.

"I've been thinking," Patrick says. "About what you said."

David is nodding already. "I've been thinking too," he says, reaching for his own laptop on the coffee table. "And I've narrowed it down, here, I think these are our three best options."

He turns his laptop around and Patrick sees—real estate listings?

"These are houses," Patrick says blankly. "In Elm Glen."

David bites his lip. "Okay, these two are, but this one is in Schitt's Creek proper," he says, peering over the top of the screen to point at one photo. "It's a little more of a fixer upper, but you can probably hammer things, and I can paint walls, it can't be that different from oil painting, and from the research I've done on septic tanks we may need to replace it sooner rather than later but if we made Ronnie a _really_ nice gift basket then—"

"David," Patrick says, and takes the laptop out of his hands. "David." He can't stop smiling.

"What," David says suspiciously, but he's smiling a little now too, as if he doesn't know why but still can't help but respond to whatever he's seeing in Patrick's face.

Patrick gropes for words, but ends up just shoving his laptop at David. David takes it, and turns it around, and frowns in the way he always does at spreadsheets. The way the corners of his eyes wrinkle makes Patrick think about how he's probably going to get glasses in a few years, about the way the frames will probably accentuate his eyebrows, maybe he'll get some silver in his hair—

"You want to sell the store?" David says, looking up sharply.

"I want what you want," Patrick says helplessly. "I want us to be happy."

David's mouth opens, and then he lunges at Patrick. Patrick spares a brief thought for the laptop as David's mouth meets his—they really can't afford a replacement, not if they're moving to New York—or _buying a house in Elm Glen_ —but then there's no room for anything in Patrick's mind except David's talented lips and David's perfect hands and David, David, David.

Afterwards, David says drowsily, "I guess we should have just talked about it." His voice breaks in a huge yawn, and he nuzzles a kiss into Patrick's bare shoulder. "Earlier, I mean."

"Yeah," Patrick says, tightening his arm around David's waist. "Guess we should have."

5.

After things calm down a little, after Mrs. Rose gives a toast with zhampagne that Patrick chokes down gamely, the party starts to break up. Roland and Jocelyn head home—"to celebrate," Roland says loudly, complete with far too many wiggling eyebrows and roaming hands. Stevie gives Mr. Rose one last, hard hug, then gets in her car. 

Patrick makes his own excuses about work and early mornings, and stands to leave, and David—hesitates, looking at Patrick, then at his family. It breaks Patrick's heart to see it.

He knows it's selfish, knows he should give David some space and time to celebrate with his family, but—"Come home," he says softly, and watches David's face light up.

They walk back to Patrick's apartment. It's a nice day, not too hot, not too cool. Patrick turns his face up into the sunshine. He walks slowly, and doesn't think about anything.

David's quiet on the walk, and is still quiet as Patrick lets them into the apartment and closes the door behind them. Patrick walks into the kitchen. He had something planned for dinner, he knows he did, but he can't—he braces his hands on the kitchen counter and drops his head. He knows he should talk to David, but he can't—he can't think of what—he doesn't know—

"Hey," David says behind him, and touches his shoulder lightly.

Patrick turns around and David is right there, his face an open book, full of worry and guilt and love, so much love. Patrick takes a step forward until his hands find the place that's all his on David's hips, and David's arms settle on Patrick's shoulders.

"We should talk," David says, and Patrick lets out a breath he feels like he's been holding all day.

"Yeah," he says.

"I'm sorry," David says, and Patrick feels like he should be surprised that David is the one to go first but he's not, somehow, not at all. "I shouldn't have sprung this on you like that. I want this to be a decision we make together."

And suddenly it's easy for Patrick to say, "I'm sorry too." David's eyebrows go up, but Patrick keeps going. "Your family is so excited, and you're so excited, and I'm sorry to have spoiled that, even a little bit. I'm sorry I didn't know that you wanted to move to New York. We can make it work, we can find a way to—"

"No," David interrupts, and pulls Patrick closer. "No, honey, no, I don't—I was just a little carried away. I love what we have here. I love my life, with you."

"We can, though," Patrick says, and it's easy to say, to really mean, with his arms around David and David pressing the tenderest kiss on his cheek. "I was just surprised, earlier at the store. I think we could—I think I'd like it, there, if I was with you."

"Oh," David breathes. 

Patrick pulls him a little tighter, presses his lips to his favorite spot on the underside of David's jaw. They'll talk, in a minute; they'll sit down, and discuss pros and cons, and what they both want, and what they don't want to lose. 

Patrick doesn't know what they'll decide, but they'll decide together.


End file.
